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Next Club Meeting: May 26, 2018,at the Fountaindale Public Library from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Animatrix Network is an anime & manga fan club located in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. We usually meet on the fourth Saturday of each month (except when holidays or conventions coincide). The meetings are free and open to the public. Join us for a day filled with anime.

This site provides news, reviews, commentaries, and previews of the world of anime and everything it inspires, such as live-action films, comics, music, art, and other weird things to enjoy and contemplate.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Best Anime of 2011

The 10 Best Anime Series of 2011

10.) Hanasaku Iroha

[Source: Wikipedia] Hanasaku Iroha centers around Ohana Matsumae, a 16-year-old
teenager living in Tokyo, who is left in the care of her estranged
grandmother, following her mother's elopement with her boyfriend. Ohana
arrives at her grandmother's country estate to realize she is the owner
of a Taishō period hot spring inn
called Kissuisō. She begins working at Kissuisō, at her grandmother's
request, but finds herself at odds with many employees and customers at
the inn. Initially feeling discouraged, she decides to use her
circumstances as an opportunity to change herself for the better and to
make amends with her deteriorating relationship with the Kissuisō's
staff for a more prominent future. Upon returning from school one day, Ohana Matsumae learns that her mother is going on a moonlight flit with her boyfriend to escape from debt and they are sending her to live at her estranged grandmother's hot spring inn
in the country. When her best friend, Kōichi Tanemura, hears of this,
he confesses his love for Ohana before running off. As Ohana arrives at
Kissuisō, she makes a bad first impression with one of the employees,
Minko Tsurugi, before being informed by her grandmother, Sui Sujima,
that she is to work at the inn to earn her keep. She is shown around the
inn by the head mistress, Tomoe Wajima, and another employee, Nako
Oshimizu. When Ohana notices the hard work Minko has to do, she tries to
do something nice for her by airing out her futon,
but it ends up falling off a ledge and landing near some customers.
After Minko is slapped by Sui for Ohana's mistake, Ohana demands to be
slapped even harder, though Minko still tells her to 'die!'.

9.)Ao no (Blue) Exorcist

[Source: Wikipedia] The story revolves around Rin Okumura, a teenager possessing abnormal
strength and endurance who, along with his younger twin brother Yukio,
was raised by Father Shiro Fujimoto. Soon after Yukio departs to study
at the prestigious True Cross Academy, Rin learns that he is the son of
Satan, the strongest of all demons. Witnessing Shiro dying to protect
him, Rin ends up doing what his guardian asked him never to do: draw the
demon-slaying blade Kurikara, which restrains his demonic powers, from
its scabbard. From that moment on, Rin not only gains permanent demonic
features like fangs, pointed ears and a tail, but also the power to
ignite himself into blue flames that can destroy anything they touch. At Shiro's funeral, Rin has an encounter with Mephisto Pheles, who
agrees with Rin's wish to become an Exorcist like his guardian to take
revenge on Satan. Rin enrolls at the True Cross Academy, which is
actually the Japanese branch of an international organization dedicated
to protect the human realm, Assiah, from demons and other creatures from
the demon realm, Gehenna. Rin takes part in a special Exorcist course,
the existence of which is known only by a few. Much to his surprise, he
finds that his brother Yukio is already a veteran Exorcist and will be
one of his teachers.

8.)Persona 4 The Animation

[Source: Wikipedia] Persona 4 takes place in the fictional, rural Japanese town of Inaba, which lies among floodplains
and has its own high school and shopping districts. Unexplained murders
have taken place in the small town, where bodies are found dangling
among television antennas and their cause of death unknown.
At the same time, rumor has begun to spread that watching a
switched-off television set on rainy midnights will reveal a person's
soulmate.
Following the rumor, a group of high-school students discovered a
fog-shrouded world accessed through television sets infested with
monsters called Shadows.
They also discovered each of their Shadow Selves, symbolizing their
suppressed personalities. Confronting their Shadow Selves awakened their
ability to summon beings known as Personas. Using Personas, the
students formed the Investigation Team to investigate the connection
between the TV world and the murders, and possibly capture the culprit. Inside a limousine, a man Igor, and his assistant Margaret,
introduce themselves explaining the place they are located is called
the Velvet Room, a place that exists "between dreams and reality, mind
and matter". Igor mentions that something special in store for their
visitor. Suddenly, Yu Narukami
wakes up from his dream and finds that his train has finally taken him
to the rural city of Inaba where he will live with his uncle, Detective Ryotaro Dojima, and Dojima's daughter, Nanako. Yu begins classes at Yasogami High School the next day, and his teacher Kinshiro "King Moron" Morooka puts Yu on his personal "shit list" after he accuses Yu of ogling a female student. Elsewhere, senior student Saki Konishi, who is cutting class, discovers the corpse of TV announcer Mayumi Yamano hanging from a television aerial. As Yu prepares to go home, Chie Satonaka and Yukiko Amagi introduce themselves and offer to walk home with him. Yosuke Hanamura
interrupts, causing a scene with Chie when she discovers he broke her
favorite DVD. Elsewhere, Dojima and his partner Detective Tohru Adachi
investigate the crime scene. The next day, Yu befriends Yosuke, and
they, along with Chie, head to Junes, a department store Yosuke's father
manages, to celebrate, and to pay Chie back. While there, they also
meet Saki and Chie brings up the Midnight Channel, a strange television
program that comes on at midnight on rainy days. That night as it rains,
Yu discovers the Midnight Channel and he sees Saki on it. When he
checks the TV, his hand gets sucked into the screen. When Yu recalls the
events to his new friends the next day, Yosuke and Chie decide to see
what will happen if they use a larger TV like the ones in Junes. When Yu
sticks his hand into the TV, the shock of the situation startles Yosuke
who knocks them all into the screen. On the other side, they enter a
world shrouded in fog where they meet a cartoonish bear called Teddie
who gives Yu glasses that can see through the fog. As they investigate,
they find a room with a noose and are attacked by creatures Teddie
calls Shadows. Just as the group are pinned down, Yu's feels a power
awaken inside him, allowing him to summon his Persona Izanagi of The
Fool Arcana to defeat the Shadows.

7.) Mawaru Penguindrum

[Source: Wikipedia] A terminally ill girl named Himari Takakura is miraculously saved from
death by a strange spirit who resides in a penguin-shaped hat. However,
in exchange for extending her life, the spirit tasks Himari's brothers,
Kanba and Shouma, to seek out an item known as the Penguin Drum with
assistance from a trio of strange penguins. Three siblings, Shōma, Kanba and Himari Takakura are living together,
despite the fact Himari was given only a few months to live by the
doctor. The three visit an aquarium to see the penguins, where Shōma
buys her a queen penguin hat. However, Himari collapses and later dies
in hospital. As the brothers mourn, they are surprised to see Himari
suddenly spring back to life and cured of her condition, possessed by a
spirit which has decided to extend her life, though she returns to
normal when her penguin hat falls off. The next day, the siblings
receive a shipment of frozen things, which are later revealed to be a
trio of strange penguins that no one besides them can see. Just then,
the hat possesses Himari again, explaining that she has extended her
life but in exchange wants the brothers to obtain something known as the
Penguin Drum. As Shōma sleeps that night, it appears that Kanba ends up
kissing Himari as she sleeps but it can't be certain since the scene
cuts before their lips make contact. The Penguin Spirit appears again and tells Shōma and Kanba to board a
train and find a girl named Ringo Oginome who may possess the
Penguindrum. With Ringo attending a girl's school, Shōma and Kanba send
in their penguins to follow her. The brothers end up following her to a
lingerie store, where they spot her maneuvering round the outside of a
building in order to take a photo of something, which she shows to the
brother's teacher, Keiju Tabuki. She then follows him home and hides out
under his house, where the brothers conclude that she is a stalker, and
pulls out a diary which allegedly fortells destined events.

6.) [C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control

[Source: Wikipedia] The Japanese government was rescued from the brink of financial collapse
by the Sovereign Wealth Fund. For its citizens, however, life has not
improved and unemployment, crime, suicide, and despair are rampant.
Kimimaro, raised by his maternal aunt after the disappearance of his
father and the death of his mother, is a scholarship student whose only
dream is to live a stable, ordinary life. One day he meets a man who
offers him a large sum of money if he will allow his "future" to be held
as collateral. From then on his fate is radically altered as he's drawn
into a mysterious realm known as the Financial District, where he must
compete in weekly tournaments called "deals" in order to keep his money
and avoid losing his future. A man with no money uses a certain credit card which grants him access
to the surreal Financial District, where he engages in a battle against a
man named Souichirou Mikuni, fighting with mysterious creatures known
as Assets, and is defeated and ends up committing suicide the next day.
Meanwhile, a boy named Kimimaro Yoga is working two part time jobs to
raise money for his future. One evening as he is trying to study for a
pop quiz, he is approached by a mysterious man named Masakaki, who
announces that Kimimaro has been chosen to become an Entrepreneur, or
Entre, at Midas Bank. The next day, Kimimaro is surprised to find
500,000 yen deposited into his account. While wondering what he should
do about it, Kimimaro considers using a small amount so he can attend a Konpa
with his friend, Hanabi Ikuta. However, as he withdraws the money, he
is once again approached by Masakaki, who places him in a taxi bound for
the Financial District. Kimimaro is brought to the Financial District in which he must
participate in Deals, battles in which money is wagered, using an Asset
named Msyu. Kimimaro and Msyu are instantly thrown into a Deal against a
powerful Asset named 'Gig'. With Kimimaro not able to understand the
situation, Msyu takes a lot of damage defending him. However, Msyu
manages to teach Kimimaro how to use her ability, which manages to
defeat the opponent, though he passes out soon afterward. Kimimaro
returns to the real world, where Masakaki informs him the next Deal will
take place in a week's time, and soon finds he has even more money in
his account. Later on, Kimimaro starts noticing that some money bills
appear black for him, which Msyu explains is money from the Financial
District. Kimimaro then ends up encountering Mikuni, who explains about
the black bills, known as Midas Money, and hints that he knows of
Kimimaro's parents.

5.)Kamisama no Memo-chou

[Source: Wikipedia] Narumi Fujishima is an ordinary high school boy who remains
isolated from his fellow classmates. One afternoon fellow classmate
Ayaka Shinozaki invites Narumi to join the gardening club and introduces
him to a reclusive detective named Alice. Alice hires Narumi as an
assistant and puts him to work solving the strange mysteries of Angel
fix, an illegal drug. Little does he know it could put him and Ayaka in
serious trouble. Alice is a mysterious girl who lives on the third floor over Hanamaru ramen shop.
Her age is unknown, but looks like a 12 or 13 years-old girl. She is
short, pale white and has long black hair. She calls herself Alice (a
mixed reading of the kanji for Yūko) and a "NEET Detective". She is a hikikomori and a cracking genius. Her diet is based practically only on Dr Pepper and she suffers a severe insomnia.
She always wears bear patterned pajamas and she is always surrounded by
a pile of teddy bears. She is the brain of the NEET Detective Team and
gathers information to solve the cases with her laptop without stepping
out of her bedroom.

4.) GOSICK

[Source: Wikipedia] Gosick takes place in 1924 in a small, French-speaking fictional
European country of Saubure nestled beside the alps. The story centers
on Kazuya Kujo, the third son of a high ranking officer of Japanese
Imperial Army, who is a transfer student to St. Marguerite Academy,
where urban legends and horror stories are all the rage. There he meets
Victorique, a mysterious yet beautiful and brilliant girl who never
comes to class and spends her days reading the entire content of the
library or solving mysteries that even detectives can't solve. The
series mostly focuses on Kazuya and Victorique getting involved in
different mystery cases and their struggle to solve them, at the same
time forming important bonds with different people. As the youngest son of a soldier, Kazuya has spent most of his life
struggling with living in his highly successful siblings' shadows.
Jealous of all the attention his brothers got, he worked hard to
compete, but everything changed when he understood that adults, who
think that the youngest child is always spoiled and useless, will never
acknowledge his efforts. With a permanent scar in his heart he left the
military academy in Japan and before anyone from his family could stop
him, went to study abroad to St. Marguerite. Unfortunately, his
black-hair, dark brown eyes appearance, combined with the campus legend
saying that "the traveler who comes in the spring brings death with him"
has resulted in Kazuya being called the "Black Reaper" by the largely
apprehensive student body and having no friends. By some twist of fate
he becomes a messenger and companion to the most eccentric pupil in the
school, Victorique. At first he didn't like Victorique because of her
arrogant and sadistic attitude, but after some time hanging around and
knowing her, he started to truly care for her and be protective of her.
It is shown that he is willing to risk his life to protect her on more
than one occasion. He is described, by Victorique, as a good and sincere
person whose soul is pure and beautiful enough to admit pride. Although
he claims to have good academic achievement that rivals that of his
older brothers, he can be very dense and slow. It can be assumed that
while Kujo has a good memory, he has subpar creativity and has little
common sense in living. Instead he has to rely on Victorique to explain
even the simplest things. Despite everything that happened in Japan he is proud to be a soldier's son. Victorique has the appearance of a small (4' 7"), almost
doll-like, girl with very long blonde hair and emerald eyes and a voice
that sounds beyond her age. Another important part of Victorique's
appearance is a pipe that she smokes when thinking about something;
though in the anime, it is never shown to be lit or showing her smoking
due to her young age. She spends her days at the conservatory at the top
of the library, reading several difficult books, often in different
languages, simultaneously. She points at one wall of the library and has
told Kazuya that she has read almost all the books over there. Along
with her sharp tongue, abusive bluntness and eccentric attitude, she
possesses a genius level intellect which she applies as a consulting
detective. After Victorique saves him from a near-arrest, Kazuya finds
himself being entangled in every new mystery happening around. Because
her mother, Cordelia Gallo, was a mistress, and according to Victorique
"a dangerous person", she was imprisoned in the depths of the de Blois
mansion where she developed mannerisms that is anything but childlike.
She was sent off to school under strict orders to never leave the
campus. Only in exceptional circumstances, she obtains permission from
Grevil to leave the campus. When she first met Kazuya she did not like
him and thought that he was annoying and stupid for climbing up all the
stairs in the library. She even ignored him and made fun of him, but
gradually warmed up to him and began to trust and cherish him. Despite
acting harshly towards Kazuya almost all the time, it's clear that she
cares deeply for him, as seen many time when he is in danger. She enjoys
"reconstructing chaos" by solving intricate mysteries and often
complain about boredom being the root of her headaches. Throughout the
anime, Victorique was also called by others as the "Golden Fairy in the
High Tower", "Gray Wolf" and at the end of the series "Charming
Monster"; all of them creatures of folktales.

3.) Mirai Nikki (Future Diary)

[Source: Wikipedia] Yukiteru "Yuki" Amano is a loner who never really interacts with
people and prefers writing a diary on his cell phone with his only
companion being an imaginary friend named Deus Ex Machina, the God of
Time and Space. However, Yuki soon learns that Deus is real when he
makes Yuki participate in a battle royal
with eleven other people. Within this "Diary Game", the contestants are
given special diaries that can predict the future, with each diary
having unique features that gives them both advantages and
disadvantages. Within the next 90 days, the contestants must try to kill
each other and survive until there is only one person standing, the
winner becoming the new God of Time and Space. In order to survive, Yuki
tries to find allies, with one of them being another diary user named
Yuno Gasai, a girl who is madly in love with him. As the game continues,
Yuki soon learns that not everyone can be trusted, not even Yuno, whose
obsession to keep both of them alive no matter the cost terrifies him.
Yet despite her faults, Yuki continues to trust Yuno since he manages to
survive the game thanks to her. Originally, Yuki had no desire to win the game and stoop as low as
the other contestants who either cheat, lie, manipulate or kill in order
to win. However, that all changes when, late in the game, Yuki's
parents are killed. Yuki suffers a breakdown over his parents death
until Yuno seduces and convinces him that if he becomes the new God of
Time and Space, he can bring his parents back to life. Now having a
reason to win, Yuki becomes a ruthless, backstabbing and manipulative
terrorist who causes the deaths of thousands of civilians and
destruction throughout the city in order to kill the other contestants.
Yuki's actions shock his friends, in particular Aru Akise, who has
suspicions about Yuno and her motives. By the time Yuno and Yuki become
the last contestants, Aru and the rest of Yuki's friends chastise him on
how he has become just as bad as the other contestants. Aru tries to
warn Yuki that Yuno is manipulating him and that she has an ulterior
motive. Refusing to accept the truth and wishing to bring his parents
back, Yuki kills them until Aru manages to stop him and gives Yuki a
clue over Yuno's true identity before he is killed by Yuno herself. Eventually, Yuki learns that the Yuno he knows is actually from a
parallel universe. In Yuno's universe, she and Yuki were the last
contestants and both of them agreed to commit suicide, but Yuno faked
her death in an attempt to resurrect Yuki. However, Yuno became
distraught and more insane when she learned that while she can resurrect
the dead, she cannot bring back their souls. With the help of Muru
Muru, Deus' servant and now Yuno's after she won the Diary game, both of
them travel back in time to Yuki's universe and killed the Yuno of that
universe, taking her place so she could play the game again and find a
way to bring back "her" Yuki. As Yuno is about to kill him, Yuki is
saved by Minene Uryu, one of his allies and the 9th Diary user who he
believed died in the game but was initially turned part God by Deus (who
had suspicions that the Muru Muru working for him is not the one he
knows but the one from the parallel world working with Yuno), knowing
that he would live long enough to stop them. Their plans foiled, Yuno
and Muru Muru travel back in time to another universe to start over
again but are followed by Yuki and Minene, who are trying to stop them.
Finally, Yuno and Muru Muru are stopped when the former learns that, in
this new universe, all the terrible things that happened to everyone in
the previous universes never happened, including the fact that Yuno's
parents never were abusive and lead to her insanity, due to Minene
tampering the past, causing many events to change its course, including
the Diary Game never initiating. With Yuno's Muru Muru stopped by Yuki's
Muru Muru that Yuki had freed, Yuki convinces Yuno to come to her
senses and surrender as he loves her, requesting that she kill him and
return to his universe to create a better world for herself. Regretting
her mistakes, Yuno instead kills herself as she loves Yuki too much,
ending her life and making Yuki the new God of his universe. In the end, 10,000 years have past since Yuki became the God of Time
and Space, but he refuses to rule his world as he has lost everything
that he ever loved and cared; his friends, parents and Yuno. In an
unexpected Deus ex machina,
though, the Yuno of the new universe breaks through time and space,
recognizing Yuki, and invites him to her universe. The Muru Muru of
Yuki's universe reveals that she contacted her new universe counterpart
and together, they both implanted the Yuno of the new universe with
memories of her past universe, hence why she recognizes Yuki.
Furthermore, the Deus of the new universe also invites Yuki to his
universe and makes both he and Yuno his heirs. The series ends with Yuki
reuniting with Yuno, his friends, parents and the Diary users in a new,
happier universe.

2.) Fate/Zero

[Source: Wikipedia]Fate/zero takes place 10 years prior to the events of Fate/stay night, detailing the events of the 4th Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City.
The War of the Holy Grail is a contest in which seven magi summon seven
Heroic Spirits to compete to obtain the power of the "Holy Grail,"
which grants a miracle. After three inconclusive wars for the elusive
Holy Grail, the Fourth War commences. Founded by the Einzbern, Matō, and Tōsaka families centuries ago, the
Einzbern family is determined to achieve success after three successive
failures, no matter the cost. As a result, they have elected to bring
the hated magus killer, Kiritsugu Emiya, into their ranks, despite his
methods and reputation as a skilled mercenary and a hitman
who employs whatever he can use to accomplish his goals. Though
Kiritsugu had once wanted to become a hero who could save everyone, he
has long since abandoned this ideal upon realizing that saving one
person comes at the cost of another's life. For the sake of humanity, he
will ruthlessly destroy anything and anyone who threatens the peace of
others. However, Kiritsugu finds himself deeply torn between the love he has
found for his new family - his wife Irisviel and their daughter Illya -
and what he must do to obtain the Holy Grail. Meanwhile, Kiritsugu's
greatest opponent appears in the form of Kirei Kotomine, a priest who
cannot find any sense of fulfillment in his life and sets his sights on
Kiritsugu as the possible answer to the emptiness he feels.

1.)Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai

[Source: Wikipedia] A group of six childhood friends drift apart after one of them, Meiko
"Menma" Honma, dies in an accident. Ten years after the incident, the
leader of the group, Jinta Yadomi, has withdrawn from society and lives
as a recluse. One summer day, the ghost of an older looking Menma
appears before him and asks to have a wish granted, reasoning that she
cannot pass on into the afterlife until it is fulfilled. Since Menma
does not remember what her wish is, Jinta gathers his estranged friends
together once again, believing that they are the key to resolving this
problem. However, hidden feelings, internal conflicts, and lingering
feelings of bitterness from Menma's parents result in complications for
the group as they struggle to help not only Menma move on, but
themselves as well. Jinta "Jintan" Yadomi is being pestered by a girl named Meiko "Menma"
Honma, who only he can see. Menma says she has a wish she wants him to
fulfill, but she can't remember what it was. Soon, she recalls that the
dream was to have their friends all together again. One of the former
friends, Naruko "Anaru" Anjō, drops by Jinta's house to drop off some
homework, but is on bad terms with him. It is revealed that Jintan has
poor school attendance. As Menma pesters Jinta to go after Naruko and
talk to her, they both go into the city where they run into two other
former friends, Chiriko "Tsuruko" Tsurumi and Atsumu "Yukiatsu"
Matsuyuki, the latter of which reacts harshly when Jinta accidentally
drops Menma's name. Frustrated, Jintan runs off and leaves Menma behind.
Jinta begins to recall the past when he, Menma, and their other friends
were part of a group known as the Super Peace Busters that hung out
together when they were children. One day, Jinta accidentally hurt
Meiko's feelings when asked if he liked her. He decided to apologize,
but she died in an accident before he could. Back in the present, Menma
visits her family's house. Jinta decides to search for Menma so he could
finally apologize and he checks out their old secret fort. Here, he
runs into the last of the six old friends, Tetsudō "Poppo" Hisakawa.Note: This anime series is a true tearjerker. The final episode has become legendary for its emotional and dramatic climax. Prepare to cry.

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Recommended Anime

MADE in ABYSS

The Best Anime of 2017

Made in Abyss is centered around an orphan girl named Riko who lives in the town of Orth on an island in the sea of Beoluska. The city surrounds a strange, giant hole going deep into the earth, which is commonly called the Abyss. The Abyss harbors artifacts and remnants of a civilization long gone, and is therefore the popular hunting spot for so-called Cave Raiders, who undertake arduous and dangerous descents into the mist-filled pit to recover whatever relics they can find. However, the deeper one goes into the Abyss, the more they are afflicted by a progressively fatal malady called the Curse of the Abyss once they ascend back; few who have descended into the lower regions have returned to tell of their experiences. Some legendary Cave Raiders earn the title of White Whistle, one of them being Riko's mother Lyza.

Riko's goal is to follow in her mother's footsteps and solve the mysteries of the Abyss. One day she explores the caves and discovers a robot named Reg who resembles a human boy that she and her friends befriend. Some time later, Riko is informed that some items sent by Lyza were recovered, including a message to her, telling her to meet in the bottom of the Abyss. Riko then bids farewell to her friends and departs to the Abyss with Reg in search for her mother, despite knowing of the risks and the fact that due to the Curse of the Abyss, she will never be able to return.

Characters Riko is a trouble-prone 12-year-old girl who wants to emulate her late mother, a legendary Cave Raider named Lyza the Annihilator who disappeared in the Abyss ten years ago. Riko is currently a Cave Raider-in-training at the Belchero Orphanage, and as a rookie bears the rank of Red Whistle. She has secretly taken possession of one of her finds, the Star Compass, which she hopes to use in her exploration of the Abyss. Her poor eyesight stems from the Curse of the Abyss, which she caught when her mother gave birth to her during a mission in the Abyss.

Reg is an amnesic robot in the shape of a human boy. Having no memory of his own name, he was given the name Reg after a dog Riko used to own. Surprisingly, he can consume organic food despite being classified as a machine. His mechanical arms extensible, and can also fire a deadly energy beam capable of melting even stone, which Riko dubs the "Incinerator".

Flashback Corner - Remember This?

THE DIRTY PAIR is a series of sci-fi comedy light novels written by Haruka Takachiho and illustrated by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko that was later adapted into anime and manga versions. The franchise has bounced across multiple formats and production companies, resulting in (so far) eight novels and a few shorter stories, a television series, two OVA series, two OVA features, a feature film, a number of graphic novels, and two short Japanese radio series. The 1985 television series won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize for that year.

The stories take place in the years 2138-43, by which time humanity has spread across some few thousand star systems. A corporation called the World Welfare Works Association (WWWA or 3WA) helps member systems of the United Galactica (UG) federation deal with various planetary-scale problems, for profit, by sending agents called "trouble consultants". The series focuses on a team of trouble consultants in that section, named Kei and Yuri, who have a reputation for leaving a trail of destruction behind them, for which they are known publicly as the "Dirty Pair".

Kei and Yuri are the two members of Trouble Consultant team 234, code named "Lovely Angels". Almost every mission they are involved with ends up in disaster, but not failure (they'll catch the crook, but a city may be destroyed in the process), and thus they are more generally known as the "Dirty Pair", a nickname they hate. They are always cleared of any wrongdoing by the 3WA's Central Computer because the extreme collateral damage is never actually their fault (though their mere presence has been known to make things worse). In some but not all continuities, they have joint ESP powers, usually limited to precognition. This talent was the reason they were recruited in the first place.

Kei is a hot-headed tomboy with red hair and tanned skin who wears a silver-white uniform. She favors large weaponry and prefers to "shoot first, ask questions later". The more aggressive of the two, she is also the bustier of the pair and is attracted to manly, muscular men. Yuri is of Japanese ethnicity, and wears a golden-yellow uniform. She often uses non-gun weaponry such as energy whips or throwing cards. While the more feminine of the two, she is known to become very violent when crossed. She is the more bottom-heavy of the team and is also a coy flirt who prefers cultured, refined men. Her most recognized weapon is the Bloody Card, a technologically enhanced throwing card that can be used to take down several people at once.

Gaming Corner

NIER: AUTOMATA is an action role-playing game in which players take the role of combat androids from the YoRHa units across an open world environment. In addition to standard navigation on foot, using a special item allows the player to summon a wild animal to ride, and in some scenarios pilot a flying mech to fight enemies. As with the previous game, during navigation in some environments, the camera shifts from its standard third-person view to an overhead or side-scrolling perspective. Some areas also include platforming elements, requiring the player to navigate via jumping between platforms or over obstacles. The player can complete side quests for non-playable characters found throughout the world. Shops available in hub locations allow the player to purchase items, including consumables which recover health.

Combat is action-based, with the player fighting enemies in real-time in a variety of in-game environments. During battle, the player can use light attacks—which are fast but weak—and heavy attacks—slow and more powerful. The player can evade enemy attacks, and with successfully timed button presses, can gain temporary invulnerability and launch a counterattack which deals heavy damage. The player is also assisted by a Pod, a flying robot assistant which launches customizable ranged attacks varying from simple gunfire to heavy-hitting hammer attacks. Players can access four different weapon types in battle: short swords, long swords, bracers, and spears. While attacking, the player can alternate between both weapon types and attacks to create combination attacks. Attacks with different weapon types can also be charged and launched for increased damage. Weapon Stories, a recurring element in both Nier and the Drakengard series, where weapons found throughout the world have unique stories attached to them, are also featured.

As the players progress, they gain experience levels, increasing their health, defense, and attack power. Character progression is handled through chips, items installed onto the player characters that modify their attributes; these chips provide benefits ranging from altering the HUD, to granting status buffs. The number of chips that can be installed at once are limited by how many slots are available. Chips can either be purchased from shops, or picked up from defeated enemies. If the player dies, they will respawn at their previous save point. The player can then find their original body, and either retrieve items and experience left with it to gain a bonus, or attempt to repair it. Depending on the player's success, the body is either resurrected as a temporary ally, or as an enemy the player can defeat for an extra bonus. With online features enabled, the bodies of other players can also be retrieved or resurrected at the location in which they died.

Anime News Network

What is the plural of "anime"?

Animeis a Japanese word, and since they don't use pluralities in Japanese, "anime" is both singular and plural. Just like the plural of "samurai" is not "samurais." The same goes with the plural of "manga," which is "manga."

Moho Pro 12 (formerly Anime Studio)

Make your own anime!

Clip Studio Paint (formerly Manga Studio)

Create your own manga!

About the Club

The Animatrix Network is a fan club, by fans, for fans of Japanese animation. We helped shape the anime and manga fan community in and around the Chicagoland area since our founding in 1995. Our monthly programming schedule has a wide variety of anime titles ranging from science fiction, comedy, fantasy, horror, romance, and adventure. Join us each month to escape the ordinary world and dive into new realms of imagination!

Membership is FREE

Simply register your name and email address to receive the latest info on club activities, meeting dates, and viewing schedules. At the meetings, we encourage all members to network with one another. It is a great place to discuss your favorite shows with other fans, make friends, and even sell or trade anime or manga.

Be a part of our Animatrix Network and you can open new doors into the fantastic world of the anime fan community.

Contact

For questions about the club, or if you would like to register as a member in order to receive news and special announcements, contact us at anim8trix@sbcglobal.net.

Animatrix Theater Presents "Technotise: Edit i ja" Belgrade 2074. Edit is a student. After a few failed exams...

Musical Moment from 'Sing'

Toon Song Favorite: Jazzman

"Let it Go" from Disney's FROZEN

Welcome [Old Version]

Mighty Orbots - Remember this?

MIGHTY ORBOTS

In the future, Earth is threatened by various enemies, but none worse than the organization called Shadow, lead by the cybernetic menace known as Umbra. Against this, the Galactic Patrol strives to protect Earth, but the mild mannered young scientist, Robert Simmons, does more. In times of peril, he secretly fights as the leader of the Orbots, a team of unique artificially intelligent robots each equipped with their own unique capabilities that are invaluable in this war. Together, whether individually or united as parts of a giant combined robot, they represent Earth's most powerful defense.